Patrick Guanciale\’s Blog

Your smartphone likely contains a lot of personal and business information on it. But if you™re not careful, you can easily open up your smartphone to attacks from hackers. An article at RISMedia recently featured security smartphone tips from the Polytechnic Institute of New York University. Among the tips:

1. Lock your phone. Most people keep their phone unlocked for ease of use, but if your phone was ever misplaced or stolen, you™d give thieves an open ticket to access everything on your phone. Use a password-protected screen lock to keep your phone secure. Also, œif your phone has a SIM card, set a PIN code for the card”if the phone is ever lost, nobody can use the card, the article notes.

2. Be cautious of apps that ask for too much extra information. Use common sense: If an app that you are downloading is for a calculator, for example, and it requests Internet and contacts permissions, you™ll want to avoid it. œCyber-thieves often exploit smart phones by creating a good app with some extra code and overreaching permissions, the article notes.

3. Be sure to log out of all Web services once you™re finished. By staying logged in on Web sites, you could open up your sensitive information to cyber-attacks from sites you visit, such as your banking or e-mail. While desktops tend to have a timeout period after you remain inactive for some time on a Web site, many devices granting mobile access do not. So make sure you log out after you™re finished on a Web site.

4. Check reviews of apps. Before you download a new app, be sure to read reviews. Be skeptical over any apps that don™t have many reviews yet and new ones recently added, which may have privacy and security problems.

Source: RISMedia via The Ohio Association of Realtors

Thinking About Joint Home Ownership?

by Coldwell Banker King Thompson on Monday, August 1, 2011 at 12:09pm

Whether you™re newlyweds, best friends or

relatives, sharing a home purchase requires making many compromises. Decisions

such as the location of the home and financial obligations by each party must

be made through a joint effort. It is also helpful to involve an objective

mediator when making crucial decisions.œThe idea of owning can seem overwhelming, especially for those who are new to the real estate process, but with a professional at your side it is very manageable, said Jerry White, executive vice president of Coldwell Banker King Thompson. œYour Realtor can help by being that outside, third party who can direct you through the process of making the right decision.

When making a collaborative purchase, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Shared Costs. With two incomes, short-term and

          long-term costs can be divided among each partner. Therefore, joint owners

          do not have to spend as much time saving up for enough capital when

          entering into a home purchase together.  

         

• Shared Settings. Whether it is

          a quiet neighborhood or a big kitchen, everyone has their own œmust-haves

          when it comes to the home of their dreams. Discuss the essentials before

          beginning the search and be prepared to compromise.

• Prepare for Future

          Funding. The down payment on a new home is just one of the many financial         aspects of home ownership. Maintenance costs, decorating materials, and

          insurance fees are all fundamentals of a home purchase that should be discussed

          by both parties.

There™s no doubt that homeowners have sprung into action to get their homes into the best shape for buyers taking advantage of low interest rates and attractive home prices. But when it comes to spring-cleaning time, sellers just need a little elbow grease to make their homes more attractive and appealing to this season™s buyers. HomeGain recently conducted a survey of nearly 600 real estate agents nationwide to determine the  top 10 home improvements for home sellers. Number one was cleaning and de-cluttering.

œHistorically, spring is a popular time to put a home on the market but it™s also more competitive, said Fran Broude, president and COO of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. œIt™s wise to get an early start on those improvement projects around the house, so you are ready to put your house on the market at the beginning of the busy season.

To be efficient in prepping your home for a spring sale, consider this advice:      

• Think green. Tidy up your yard by mowing the grass and trimming any bushes or shrubs.   Plant flowers to help add color and accentuate your home. If your yard is looking neglected and needs a boost in the right direction then hiring a landscape architect may be an option for you. Investing in your home™s landscape can help increase the property value.
  • De-clutter. Disorganization is not appealing and makes a home feel smaller. You want

potential buyers to imagine your home as their new home. Stage your interior by removing unnecessary furniture and leaving your space neat and clean. Don™t overlook the obvious clutter that rests on the kitchen counter or bedside table.

• Deep clean. Cleaning your home from top to bottom and not excluding those often

forgotten spaces is key. Washing the inside and outside of the windows, dusting off baseboards, and shampooing the carpet are a few things buyers will notice. Remember, they are seeing your house for the first time and inspecting every detail, don™t give them any reason to question whether the house has been well taken care of.

If your idea of negotiation is a fast-paced game of back-and-forth, there’s a good chance that you’ve left a great deal on the table over time. Master negotiators understand that the strategic use of silence is a primal, effective tool in tilting the table their way. Silence is uncomfortable for lots of people. Extended silences on first dates, in marital fights, and from brooding teenage family members all produce gaps we want to fill. We become anxious to balance prolonged silence because our minds run away with us– we ask ourselves: “What’s wrong? What am I missing? How can I fix this?” When you’re involved in negotiations, use this core impulse to help control the process. When you’ve stated your offer, pipe down, take a deep breath, and wait for the other person to respond. When they respond, don’t come back right away. Count to five in your mind and let the counteroffer sit. Many times, this silence alone will be enough to prompt the other party to give a little more. If you find yourself in a full-blown argument over a point, the use of silence is also very powerful for 1) keeping your cool, and 2) allowing your opponent to “burn themselves out.” Your silence starves off their source of “fuel for the fire,” and before long they’ll begin to wonder if you’re even listening. At that point, you can calmly pick up the negotiation.  Sometimes the most powerful thing to say is nothing at all.

If your idea of negotiation is a fast-paced game of back-and-forth, there’s a good chance that you’ve left a great deal on the table over time. Master negotiators understand that the strategic use of silence is a primal, effective tool in tilting the table their way. Silence is uncomfortable for lots of people. Extended silences on first dates, in marital fights, and from brooding teenage family members all produce gaps we want to fill. We become anxious to balance prolonged silence because our minds run away with us– we ask ourselves: “What’s wrong? What am I missing? How can I fix this?” When you’re involved in negotiations, use this core impulse to help control the process. When you’ve stated your offer, pipe down, take a deep breath, and wait for the other person to respond. When they respond, don’t come back right away. Count to five in your mind and let the counteroffer sit. Many times, this silence alone will be enough to prompt the other party to give a little more. If you find yourself in a full-blown argument over a point, the use of silence is also very powerful for 1) keeping your cool, and 2) allowing your opponent to “burn themselves out.” Your silence starves off their source of “fuel for the fire,” and before long they’ll begin to wonder if you’re even listening. At that point, you can calmly pick up the negotiation. Sometimes the most powerful thing to say is nothing at all.

During the past several months, I have received many emails from clients wanting to know about the  FALSE emails they have been receiving regarding a 3.8% tax on investments passed within the Health Reform Act by our past Congress, Senate and signed off by our current President.  

Click here to review some examples of how this bill will effect you, most likely it will not.

10,000 a Day for the Next 19 Years: Retiring Boomers

● Posted by Matthew Ferrara on January 5, 2011

The first Baby Boomer officially hit 65 on January 1, 2011. Thereafter, 10,000 Boomers in the U.S. will turn 65 every day for the next 19 years. What will that mean for real estate?

When it comes to real estate, Boomers have big plans. Nearly 47% of Boomers plan to move at least once as part of their retirement planning. In fact, 10% of Boomers anticipate moving as part of a plan to re-tune their finances, as retirement funds and equity losses reconfigure their plans for the near future (22% say they must delay retirement for the time being).

Last year, 1 in 5 buyers was over the age of 65, according to the National Association of REALTORS. About 79% of Baby Boomers own their own home, although some are carrying significant mortgage debt after significantly upsizing or taking out equity during the market boom to purchase second homes. And while Baby Boomers are currently somewhat glum about the future “ 34% believe their children will not enjoy as good a standard of living as they do now “ the younger Boomers (aged 45-55) still have two more decades of prime earning years.

Click here to read the complete post by Matthe Farrara, this information passed along to me by Realtor Steve Layman

Our parents and our grandparents didn™t buy their homes as a short term financial investment. They bought it so they had a place of their own to come home to at the end of the day; a place to raise their family; a place they could feel safe.

This is the year that normalcy returns to real estate. People will buy and sell based on the desire for a better life for themselves and their families. They will realize that is the true value of homeownership and they will be willing to pay for that value.

Click here for the complete blog posting. Sounds good to me!

Quick Tip: Mobile Phone Photos of Important Documents
Never be without crucial information again. Ever find yourself rummaging through your glove box for an insurance card or walking back out to your car to remember your license plate number? Here’s a simple tip to save you time: Use your camera phone to photograph important documents and keep them in your phone’s photo album. Your license plate, auto insurance card, and vehicle registration are all good choices. While your phone’s resolution might not be capable of photographing detailed documents, those little pieces of paper we all lose are a great place to start. Remember– if you photograph sensitive information, you’ll want to be sure your phone is protected by a passcode or other security feature. Also, it’s never a good idea to photograph account numbers or passwords. While the photos aren’t a legal substitute for proper paperwork, they can save you in a pinch.

ONCE AGAIN THANKYOU TO SCOTT LEVITT OF OAKLEY SIGNS